EDITOR'S PICK: See the International Space Station in real-time (on any computer) at: http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/ temp/StationLoc.html

This is the proposed Space Resort Wheel. It will be comfortably situated just above the upper atmosphere and have sufficient facilities to accomodate a hundred or so visitors. It has no set date for construction, but has undergone the final design stages. The cheapest estimated accomodation costs start from a little over US$500 000 for about a week.

This the most viable proposed replacement for the modern Space Shuttle. It has a more aerodynamic design and does not require any type of input for its fully automated landings, thus eliminating pilots. It will be cheaper to run than the current shuttle and is expected to be flying by 2012.

Experiments and Prototypes

There are many proposed projects in space scheduled for the near future. These concepts have undergone thorough assessment, so these are all feasible. A few examples are those shown here.

This is the Plasma Drive propulsion system developed by NASA to cut down the time taken to reach Mars on future missions.